A new project is slated to open in April this year, providing permanent housing for the Dallas' most expensive homeless people before addressing their problems such as alcoholism, drug addiction and mental illnesses.
The Guardian reported that one-bedroom apartments at The Cottages at Hickory Crossing is a "housing first" strategy that aims to house 50 of the most expensive homeless persons in the county who are costing the city about $40,000 each a year by staying outside. The project is expected to bring as much as $40 million savings in a 30-year span.
This is the city's attempt to address the increasing poverty rate in the area while helping these people become healthy and self-reliant again.
Under the "housing first" strategy, tenants who are qualified include those who are chronically homeless, disabled, have mental health issues, have problems with drugs or alcohol and have criminal records.
"We're going to provide a gated community with security, seven day a week mental health services, really good housing - platinum LEED certified - every house has a bedroom scaled to queen-sized furniture, a living room, kitchen and a bath, a nice front porch. Less than $15,000 a year is what it costs to provide that kind of housing," explained Larry James, CEO of CitySquare, one of the nonprofit organization that raised fund for the project.
A report from Dallas Observer noted that poverty rate in Dallas saw a substantial growth of 24.1 percent over the past couple of decades. This means that more people are having a hard time purchasing their own homes. Homeownership in Dallas-Fort Worth area, for instance, was at the rate of 56.3 percent compared to the 64 percent national average. In Dallas alone, the rate was even way low at 43 percent. On the national level, there are 5 percentage points drop in homeownership.